The Nationals suffered two big losses on Thursday afternoon against the Cubs. The bullpen blew a late lead and the team lost 5-4, and shortstop Trea Turner suffered a non-displaced fracture in his right wrist, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports. Turner was hit by a Pedro Strop fastball in the bottom of the seventh inning. He initially stayed in the game but was removed in the ninth inning.

Turner went 1-for-2 with a walk and two stolen bases before exiting. He’s hitting .279/.324/.422 with seven home runs, 32 RBI, 53 runs scored, and 35 stolen bases (best in the majors) in 315 plate appearances. As there’s as yet no timetable for Turner’s return, the Nationals will have to find a solution for the leadoff spot for the foreseeable future. Stephen Drew and Wilmer Difo will handle shortstop while Turner is absent.

Turner, 23, finished second in NL Rookie of the Year balloting last season and while his offense wasn’t quite up to last year’s standards, he was on pace to steal 72 bases. Jacoby Ellsbury in 2009 was the last player to steal 70-plus bases.

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher has reversed course and will continue to pay minor leaguers. Fisher tells Slusser, “I concluded I made a mistake.” He said he is also setting up an assistance fund for furloughed employees.

The A’s decided in late May to stop paying paying minor leaguers as of June 1, which was the earliest date on which any club could do so after an MLB-wide agreement to pay minor leaguers through May 31 expired. In the event, the A’s were the only team to stop paying the $400/week stipends to players before the end of June. Some teams, notable the Royals and Twins, promised to keep the payments up through August 31, which is when the minor league season would’ve ended. The Washington Nationals decided to lop off $100 of the stipends last week but, after a day’s worth of blowback from the media and fans, reversed course themselves.

An @sfchronicle exclusive: A's owner John Fisher reverses course, apologizes: team will pay minor-leaguers; "I concluded I made a mistake," he tells me. He's also setting up an assistance fund for furloughed employees: https://t.co/8HUBkFAaBx)